<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><channel><title>Igor Stravinsky on Gromet's Plaza Archive</title><link>/authors/igor-stravinsky/</link><description>Recent content in Igor Stravinsky on Gromet's Plaza Archive</description><generator>Hugo</generator><language>en-us</language><lastBuildDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="/authors/igor-stravinsky/index.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title>What is a Treat?</title><link>/stories/2020/10/28/what-is-a-treat/</link><pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2020/10/28/what-is-a-treat/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;DING!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The doorbell caught Peter’s attention, and he set down his drink and paused “The Blair Witch Project” - his favorite horror movie, knowing that trick-or-treaters were at the door. However, he waited.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;DING! The doorbell chimed again, then a third DING! The left side of Peter’s mouth curled into a smirk as he finally got up to greet the first Halloween visitors of the evening. He opened the front door.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Carly and Gina: Weekend Wager</title><link>/stories/2020/05/12/carly-and-gina-weekend-wager/</link><pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2020/05/12/carly-and-gina-weekend-wager/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Carly and Gina sat on their couch, lazing through a Friday morning at the beginning of a four-day weekend. As “Real Housewives of Atlanta” played on the television, Carly sat with her bare feet tucked under her, grey leggings popping out from under an oversized red Karl Marx t-shirt., long hair cascading over her shoulder. Her roommate, Gina, lounged in light green pyjamas, her feet propped on the coffee table clad in rainbow striped socks. Carly sipped her coffee and put it down.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Mistress' Turn</title><link>/stories/2020/05/08/mistress-turn/</link><pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2020/05/08/mistress-turn/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;You stand at the door. It is heavy, oaken, crossed with iron straps. Pierced solely by a tiny grille at eye level, displaying the merest hint of a glow from within. Buried in the cold stone basement of the old manor, its appearance alone fills you with trepidation, to say nothing of the step you intend to take when the door opens. The air is clammy, moist. You shiver in your thin shirt and bare feet. You gather your resolve and raise a hand to strike the iron knocker in the center of the door. Just as your hand is about to grip the metal ring, you hear –&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>A Short Hike</title><link>/stories/2020/03/24/a-short-hike/</link><pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2020/03/24/a-short-hike/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;“Holy shit, man! You’re never gonna freakin’ believe this! Let’s get a table near the back. I know there’s no one here, but I don’t need anyone else hearing this. Yes, way in the back. I’m telling you, man, this really happened! True story! Okay, okay! I’m calming down. Do you have that thing on? I want to get all this down before I forget any of it. Although I don’t think I’m gonna forget this for a long time.”&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Yes, Please</title><link>/stories/2020/03/22/yes-please/</link><pubDate>Sun, 22 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2020/03/22/yes-please/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Continues from &lt;a href="yes_please.html"&gt;part one&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 id="part-2--no-thank-you"&gt;Part 2 – No, Thank You&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dominic felt like he was in heaven. Of course, for a given value of “heaven.” There are many people in the world who would disagree strongly with his assessment of his current condition – would it be better to describe it as a “plight” or even perhaps a “predicament?” Dominic himself wasn’t sure. He just knew he didn’t want to be anywhere else, or be doing anything else, at the moment.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Since You Asked</title><link>/stories/2020/03/16/since-you-asked/</link><pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2020/03/16/since-you-asked/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Continues from &lt;a href="since_you_asked2.html"&gt;chapter two&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 id="chapter-3--goose-gander"&gt;Chapter 3 – Goose, Gander&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Mmmmmm! Mmmmmmm! NNNNNHHHHHH!”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Oh, I don’t think so, missy. I’ve waited too long for this. There’s no way I’m&amp;hellip;”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“AHHHHHH! LEEEEE! ORRY!”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Quiet! Or I’ll&amp;hellip;”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“OHHHH! AHHH! ELLHH!”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Alright, you asked for it&amp;hellip;”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“AH! AH! AH! NNNNNNHHH!”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Now hush! You’ve never felt your ‘little attention-getter’ before, have you? Well, I remember it quite well. That was a ‘five.’ If you don’t want me to go right up to an ‘eight’ you’ll keep quiet and listen. Are you ready to do that?”&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>A Pleasant Hike</title><link>/stories/2020/03/12/a-pleasant-hike/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2020/03/12/a-pleasant-hike/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The sun was already beginning to warm the field behind the small, isolated cabin, burning off the cool and dew of the morning. The door opened, and a couple stepped out of the rustic cottage.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They were both in their mid-twenties, obviously fit, similarly attired in cargo shorts, t-shirts and open-sided walking shoes. He was a full head taller than her, shirt and shorts loose; his exposed legs and arms displaying a wiry muscularity, hair shoulder length and dark brown. His attitude was enthusiastic, eyes bright and eager.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>A Beautiful Friendship</title><link>/stories/2020/03/08/a-beautiful-friendship/</link><pubDate>Sun, 08 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2020/03/08/a-beautiful-friendship/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Continues from &lt;a href="abeautifulfriendship.html"&gt;part one&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Fiona Martinez was in a difficult position, in the basement of the small house she rented. If you asked her, she would be hard put to tell you if that was a good thing, or a bad thing. If you asked her, she would be hard put to tell you anything at all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That was because her mouth was filled with a large rubber ball, attached to a leather strap buckled tightly behind her head. Her eyes were covered with a leather blindfold, and both of those were in turn covered by a snug rubber hood, pushing the blindfold against her eyes and the ball deep into her mouth, leaving only a hole for her nose so she could breathe.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Distractions</title><link>/stories/2020/03/06/distractions/</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2020/03/06/distractions/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;He sat in the easy chair with his feet up, watching &lt;em&gt;Remains of the Day&lt;/em&gt;. He took a sip of his Scotch on the rocks and replaced the glass on the end table. The balmy temperature of the living room allowed him to indulge in the comfort of bare feet, jeans and a simple, black t-shirt. He looked to his left.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;She sat in a similar chair, legs curled under her in silvery gray leggings, adrift in an oversize sweatshirt. She stared vacantly into the space above the television, the glass of red wine he poured for her earlier untouched on the table between them.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Since You Asked</title><link>/stories/2020/02/28/since-you-asked/</link><pubDate>Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2020/02/28/since-you-asked/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Continues from &lt;a href="since_you_asked.html"&gt;chapter one&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 id="chapter-2--friends-together-friends-forever"&gt;Chapter 2 – Friends Together, Friends Forever&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Nnnnnnnnnnnn&amp;hellip;”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Wakey, wakey!”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Nnnnnnn? Mmmmmm? Ahhhhh! Eyyyyy!”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Welcome back to the land of the living, sweetie! Don’t fret, there’s always a bit of confusion coming off those little pills. They work well, though, don’t they?”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Whaaaa?! Eyyyyy! Eh Eee Ahh!”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Calm down, calm down! It’s okay! I’ll explain everything. I need you to be quiet and listen for a moment.”&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Since You Asked</title><link>/stories/2020/02/28/since-you-asked/</link><pubDate>Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2020/02/28/since-you-asked/</guid><description>&lt;h3 id="chapter-1"&gt;Chapter 1&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Mmmmmmph! Nnnnh? Eeeeh?!”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Yes, yes, of course! I’ll explain everything to you. Since you asked. Just so you know, I can’t understand a thing you’re saying through that gag. It’s one of my largest, you know. Strapped in there nice and tight like that, and held in by that hood, it really muffles and garbles everything but basic vowels. By the way, that hood fits you like a glove! Do I know how to pick them or what? With the laces cinched down, it’s like a second skin! The leather is so smooth. Very sexy on you, if you don’t mind me saying. I’m quite proud of myself for sizing you up so accurately.”&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>The Super</title><link>/stories/2020/02/24/the-super/</link><pubDate>Mon, 24 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2020/02/24/the-super/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Aidan Matthews stepped out of the elevator to the underground garage below his apartment building and started walking towards his car. He heard his name.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Aidan!” It was the superintendent of his building, Lauren Wells. She was walking towards him.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Hi, Lauren,” said Aidan sheepishly, which was how he did most things.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“How is my sexy lil’ boy toy?” Lauren said, grabbing his shoulder.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Aidan did not object to the harassment – in fact, he loved it. He liked Lauren but lacked the wherewithal to do anything about it. Lauren loomed over him – literally standing several inches taller than him, even in her brown work boots. She wore jeans that were not tight, but not loose either, showing the curve of her legs. The black t-shirt she wore was tight, emphasizing her waist and showing breasts Aidan had to concentrate on not staring at. Over the t-shirt she wore an unbuttoned flannel shirt. Her wavy brown hair was kept under a Caterpillar ball cap, and her hazel eyes bore down on him, as if pinning a bug to a board.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Yes, Please</title><link>/stories/2020/01/26/yes-please/</link><pubDate>Sun, 26 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2020/01/26/yes-please/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;“Well, what did you think?” he asked as the credits started to roll.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Inconceivable!” she said, and they both laughed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“It’s ‘inconceivable’ that you’ve never seen &lt;em&gt;The Princess Bride&lt;/em&gt;,” he said.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Well, thanks for making me watch it. It was awesome,” she said, grasping his arm.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Thanks for making dinner,” he said, smiling at her.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Dominic had been dating Beth for several weeks, mostly dinner out, parties with mutual friends and going to the movies. This was their first night alone, in her house, and he was both nervous and excited for what could come next.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>The Real Deal</title><link>/stories/2020/01/20/the-real-deal/</link><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2020/01/20/the-real-deal/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;I know lots of authors say this at the beginning of a story, and no one ever believes them, but this is a (mostly) accurate account of a real scene I did recently. So, you can believe me or not, but it still really happened.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Breathe in, breathe out - &lt;em&gt;ninety-six.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Breathe in, breathe out - &lt;em&gt;ninety-seven.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Breathe in, breathe out - &lt;em&gt;ninety-eight.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Breathe in, breathe out – &lt;em&gt;oh, god, please. Ninety-nine.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>A Beautiful Friendship</title><link>/stories/2019/05/20/a-beautiful-friendship/</link><pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2019 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2019/05/20/a-beautiful-friendship/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;It was Saturday, around 10:00 a.m., and Emily Walker sat on the couch of the small house she rented watching television and drinking coffee. She was dressed in loose light-gray workout pants with thick pink socks. She wore a sky-blue t-shirt that came to just above her navel, exposing her flat stomach. The tight t-shirt hugged body like a second skin, emphasizing her breasts, making it obvious that she wore no bra. She had her long legs pulled up in front of her on the couch, and she peered over them at the television. She shook her head a bit to clear her bangs from her eyes, setting her blond, asymmetrical bob in motion.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item></channel></rss>